Writing is a mostly solitary activity, but that doesn’t mean I can do it alone. I’ve got wonderful critique partners and have been bolstered by a whole community of kid lit writers. But the one person who is indispensable in this writing journey is my husband, and not just because he buys me cool pens, built this website, and agreed to watch our rambunctious toddler for a weekend by himself so that I could attend my first writing conference. It’s because he has supported and encouraged me every step of the way, even going so far as contributing a post to my new blog. So, without further ado…
You’re a lawyer, your wife’s a lawyer. You’re newly wed, you’ve just finished paying off hundreds of thousands (yes, really) of student loans, and you can finally think about what you actually WANT to do with your life. What are you passionate about? So, you network. You do lunches. You go to interviews and call backs. Then one morning, you get breakfast with a friend of a friend who wants to open a brewery, and your friend thinks they might need a brewer (you have, after all, been homebrewing for six years, and who ISN’T passionate about beer). You drive to breakfast pondering whether the whole attorney thing really is for you.
Well, it turns out they don’t need a brewer (at least not yet), but they sure could use your money. You’ve got a bit to spare, even if it means you’ll be stuck lawyering for a few more years. You’ll own a piece of the brewery, and someday they will need that extra brewer. You sign on the dotted line and hand over your check.
Fast forward a couple months, and what do you know, you’ve got a baby on the way. And with that baby, a lot of expenses. A house that fits more than two people. A car with more than two doors. A college fund (a college fund?!?!). Furniture, strollers, baby gates, car seats . . . the list is miles long. Maybe that whole attorney thing is for you after all.
So, you find a new attorney gig that you enjoy with better hours. You settle in. The baby comes, and she is amazing, and she is perfect. And so so exhausting. You work, you take care of the baby, you and your wife take care of each other. Occasionally you sleep, some times you see family and friends (when they come to visit the baby), and once in a blue moon you even get out. At least the brewery is only 10 minutes away!
Fast forward a year. Apparently, incredibly, your wife has written about 150 pages on the dim light of her phone while nursing the baby at night. Fast forward six months, and you’re reading books, arguing over plot points, helping shape characters and story lines. Fast forward another six months, and your wife has joined writing groups and attends workshops and conventions. It’s a kids books, it’s short stories, it’s poetry, it’s illustrations. It’s a online-handle, it’s Twitter, it’s a new website.
You wonder, confused, where the time has gone. That morning just a couple years ago, when you’d decided to be a brewer, is now a lifetime away.
Luckily, your daughter is a crazy little firecracker that’s gotten a hold of your heart and won’t ever let go. Your wife is still the breathtaking marvel you married before the maniac came along. They are your new passion. Your old passions, well, those are just hobbies that you make time for when you can.
Fortunately for me, I have a new hobby that I like making time for. It’s a little like chasing my daughter around the playground (and my god is she fast), except I’m instead of my daughter, it’s my wife, and instead of the playground, it’s fascinating worlds sprung from her imagination. It can be tedious, but it’s fun and rewarding, and I love seeing how happy it makes her.
So, dear readers, I know you’re here to follow my wife. But I’ll be here too, mostly behind the curtain, helping out. I hope you enjoy what she shares as much as I do.